After 30 years, Taylor is no longer a Redskin

Hall of Famer Charley Taylor, who has been with the Washington Redskins as a player, scout and assistant coach for three decades, was fired yesterday by new head coach Norv Turner.

"It's just kind of hard to describe right now. I'll have a better answer tomorrow," Taylor said when asked his reaction to the surprise move.

There had been indications that Turner planned to retain Taylor, but he only kept three members from the staff of former coach Richie Petitbon, who was fired in January. They were offensive line coach Jim Hanifan, defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas and tight ends coach Russ Grimm.

"I guess the direction has changed," Taylor said, "If I had an idea [the firing was coming], I probably would have approached some other coaches about jobs. I probably could have gotten one." Most of the teams have filled their staffs for the coming season.

Taylor was a Hall of Fame wide receiver with the Redskins from1964 to 1977. He caught 649 passes and joined the staff as a scout after he retired in 1977. He became a wide receivers coach when Joe Gibbs arrived in 1981, and he moved to research and development in recent years.

Except for defensive line coach LaVern Torgeson, all the other Redskins assistant coaches who were fired by Turner have gotten jobs. The latest to be hired were Wayne Sevier and Rene Simmons, who joined the Los Angeles Rams' staff last week.

In explaining Taylor's firing, Turner said, "I had a chance to bring in some people I felt good about, and, unfortunately, things didn't work out for some other fine coaches who were here."

The last three additions to Turner's staff were Terry Robiske, the ex-Los Angeles Raiders coach who will coach the wide receivers; Cam Cameron, the former University of Michigan coach who will be the quarterbacks coach; and Ray Horton, a former player with the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals who'll be a defensive assistant.

The Redskins also made plans to welcome their first four free agents for visits this week. Defensive lineman William Fuller of the Houston Oilers and offensive lineman John Gesek of the Cowboys will arrive tomorrow, and linebacker Ken Harvey of the Phoenix Cardinals and fullback Daryl Johnston of the Cowboys will visit Thursday.